Steve Jobs

Steven Paul"Steve"Jobs( February 24, 1955– October 5, 2011) was an Americanentrepreneur, marketer,[ and inventor, who was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO ofApple Inc.Through Apple, he is widely recognized as a charismatic and design-driven pioneer of thepersonal computer revolution and for his influential career in the computer andconsumer electronicsfields, transforming "one industry after another, from computers and smartphones to music and movies." Jobs also co-founded and served as chief executive ofPixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors ofThe Walt Disney Companyin 2006, when Disney acquired Pixar. Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential ofXerox PARC'smouse-drivengraphical user interface, which led to the creation of theApple Lisaand, a year later, theMacintosh. He also played a role in introducing theLaserWriter, one of the first widely available laser printers, to the market. After a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs left Apple and foundedNeXT, acomputer platformdevelopment company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division ofLucasfilm, which was spun off as Pixar. He was credited inToy Story(1995) as an executive producer. He served as CEO and majority shareholder until Disney's purchase of Pixar in 2006. In 1996, after Apple had failed to deliver its operating system,Copland,Gil Amelioturned to NeXT Computer, and theNeXTSTEPplatform became the foundation for theMac OS X. Jobs returned to Apple as an advisor, and took control of the company as an interim CEO. Jobs brought Apple from near bankruptcy to profitability by 1998. As the new CEO of the company, Jobs oversaw the development of theiMac,iTunes,iPod,iPhone, andiPad, and on the services side, the company'sApple Retail Stores,iTunes Storeand theApp Store. The success of these products and services provided several years of stable financial returns, and propelled Apple to become the world's most valuable publicly traded company in 2011. The reinvigoration of the company is regarded by many commentators as one of the greatest turnarounds in business history. In 2003, Jobs was diagnosed with apancreasneuroendocrine tumor. Though it was initially treated, he reported a hormone imbalance, underwent a liver transplant in 2009, and appeared progressively thinner as his health declined. On medical leave for most of 2011, Jobs resigned in August that year, and was elected Chairman of the Board. He died ofrespiratory arrestrelated to the tumor on October 5, 2011. Jobs received a number of honors and public recognition for his influence in the technology and music industries. He has been referred to as "legendary", a "futurist" and a "visionary", and has been described as the "Father of the Digital Revolution," a "master of innovation," "the master evangelist of the digital age" and a "design perfectionist.".